When they reached 120, Zhouzhou slowed down noticeably. Her small chest rose and fell slightly, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, indicating that she had expended a lot of energy.
But there was a stubbornness in her eyes that refused to admit defeat. She clenched her little fists, adjusted her breathing, and gritted her teeth to pick up the pace a little.
"...132! 133!"
But in the end, she was just a seven-year-old child. After struggling for a while, her strength finally reached its limit.
When she counted to one hundred and twenty-eight, her body suddenly swayed, her legs suddenly lost their strength, and she tripped on the rope. Her small body fell uncontrollably to the side!
Zhou Qiqi and Shen Huaichuan felt a pang of anxiety and were about to rush over.
But someone is faster than them!
Jiang Xiangyang, who had been keeping a close eye on Zhouzhou, immediately rushed out and caught Zhouzhou as she was about to fall.
Zhouzhou was able to steady herself by his blocking motion and avoid falling.
However, Jiang Xiangyang rushed too fast and lost his balance, and fell flat on his face.
His appearance was so comical that it caused the surrounding children to burst into laughter.
Even Zhou Qiqi couldn't help but laugh out loud. It was Shen Huaichuan who reacted quickly and stepped forward to pick up the grimacing Jiang Xiangyang from the ground.
When I rolled up his trouser leg, I saw that the kid had a large bruise on his knee.
The two men didn't dare delay and quickly took him to the clinic.
Yuan Xiaoyuan, a nurse from the clinic, hadn't been transferred to the military dependents' area for long, but everyone clearly recognized Jiang Xiangyang, this "regular," and they all smiled as soon as they saw him.
"Hey, Xiangyang, it's you again? Where did you hurt this time?"
Zhou Qiqi led Jiang Xiangyang inside to treat his wounds. When she looked up, she saw Lei Ming inside as well. She guessed that Lei Ming was probably sick, but he seemed to be in good spirits, so she didn't ask any questions.
The two nodded to each other briefly.
Jiang Xiangyang had been to the clinic so many times that he had become quite adept at it. He didn't complain of pain at all during the wound cleaning and disinfection, and after the medicine was applied, he skipped and hopped home on his own.
Zhou Qiqi and Shen Huaichuan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly led Zhouzhou home.
On the way back, as she passed a patch of greenery, Zhou Qiqi's gaze was drawn to a few pepper trees in the corner.
As autumn arrives, most of the Sichuan pepper leaves have fallen, but the branches are still adorned with many dried Sichuan peppercorns.
She remembered that she had come here before to pick tender Sichuan pepper leaves and made pepper leaf pancakes at home, which Shen Huaichuan and Zhouzhou both loved.
These dried peppercorns, though not as fragrant as fresh leaves, have a richer and more intense aroma, offering a unique flavor.
A thought suddenly struck her. She stopped, tugged at Chen Huaichuan's sleeve, and pointed to the pepper tree, saying:
"Huaichuan, go and pick some dried peppercorns."
Shen Huaichuan asked with some confusion, "Why are you picking these? The Sichuan pepper trees don't have any leaves now, and they're very numbing."
Zhou Qiqi explained:
“When I came in just now, I heard Dad cough twice. His voice was a little hoarse. I guess he was tired from the journey and caught a cold. Don’t we still have some snow pears that we stored in our cellar? I remember you said that Auntie’s throat wasn’t very good either. Perfect, let’s pick some dried peppercorns and make some peppercorn and pear soup when we get back, so that they can both soothe their throats and ward off the cold.”
Shen Huaichuan was taken aback for a moment, and a warmth appeared in his eyes as he looked at Zhou Qiqi: "Qiqi, you're so thoughtful."
He hadn't expected her to be so observant and to still be thinking about this.
Shen Huaichuan was tall, and he deftly reached out and picked a small handful of reddish-brown peppercorns.
The three of them then quickened their pace and headed home.
At the entrance of the main room, the elderly Shen couple had been eagerly waiting.
Qin Peilan, in particular, was so excited when she heard the sound of the courtyard gate that she forgot everything else. She pushed away He Wanrou, who had been supporting her, and almost stumbled as she rushed over.
She grabbed the little boat tightly and hugged it tightly in her arms, crying out:
"Zhouzhou, my dear granddaughter, let Grandma take a good look at you..."
On the way here, Shen Huaichuan had patiently told Zhouzhou that her grandparents had come and that they missed her very much.
Although it's been almost half a year since we last met.
But it was the Shen family elders who took Zhouzhou home from the hospital and personally cared for her for over two years; that affection will never change.
At first, Zhouzhou was a little reserved when she was held tightly.
But under Zhou Qiqi's encouraging and gentle gaze, she quickly relaxed and even reached out her little hand to give her grandmother a gentle hug.
Shen Zhenbang also stepped forward quickly. Although he did not show his emotions as openly as his wife, his usually stern eyes were also glistening with tears.
He reached out his large hand, half-squatted down, and gently patted his granddaughter's shoulder. His Adam's apple bobbed, and a thousand words were conveyed in this silent gesture.
This scene of family reunion should have been heartwarming.
But at that moment, He Wanrou seemed oblivious to the atmosphere and walked over at an inopportune time.
She squatted down next to Qin Peilan, plastered what she thought was her most amiable smile on her face, and joined in the greeting with a sweet and cloying voice:
"Oh my! This must be Zhouzhou! Oh my, what a handsome little thing! So good-looking! Auntie really likes him!"
As she spoke, she eagerly opened her arms.
"Come here, let Auntie hold you! Look, Auntie knew I was going to see you, so I bought you a new doll. Do you like it?"
As if by magic, she pulled a brand new rag doll from her handbag.
The doll was wearing a floral dress, her hair was tied with golden yarn, and her eyes were two shiny black glass beads, which were very rare these days. It was clear that she had put a lot of thought into preparing it in advance, and it probably cost a lot of money.
He Wanrou thought to herself with a delighted feeling.
Although Zhouzhou was a little shy around her grandparents, she didn't reject them.
With such enthusiasm from me, and even bringing out my "secret weapon"—the doll—wouldn't this little brat be overjoyed and rush over to me?
When the time comes, the Shen family elders will see how much they love their child, and their impression of them will definitely improve dramatically!
She confidently handed the doll forward, her smile widening, and opened her arms, waiting for the little one to throw himself into her embrace.
Unexpectedly, when Zhouzhou heard the strange aunt's high-pitched and thin voice, her little body tensed up immediately.
She raised her large, clear black and white eyes and glanced timidly at He Wanrou. Instead of surprise, her eyes flashed with obvious wariness and fear.
She even let go of Qin Peilan's hand, shrank back, then turned around and ran back to Zhou Qiqi's side.
He grabbed Zhou Qiqi's clothes and hid behind her.
She only showed half of her face, looking at He Wanrou with a hint of resistance.
"What's wrong with this child?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com